Dordogne River

The Dordogne River, the fifth longest in France, is 300 miles (483 km) long, rising in the mountains of the Auvergne at Puy de Sancy, 1,885 meters (6,184 ft) above sea level. It starts with a series of deep gorges passing through skiing country before passing through Argentat. Here in the Dordogne and Perigord region, it?s quintessential holiday country, the Brits passion for the place starting with the Hundred Years War between the English and the French a long time ago -- it ended in 1453.


It?s a gorgeous river, with ch?teaux on its hillsides and pretty towns on its banks like Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. It passes near the sinkhole, the Gouffre du Padirac and through La Roque-Gageac, once an important port and now the place for a quiet boat trip along the river. For a great view of the river, visit the gardens of Marqueyssac. It goes near Sarlat-la-Caneda with its fabulous weekly market and makes its stately way through Bergerac and St. Emilion before running into the huge Gironde estuary, the biggest in Europe, at Bec d?Amb?s. Here the Dordogne joins up with the Garonne at the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast.